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Final Four 2018: Michigan silences Loyola-Chicago to make National Championship game


Michigan returns to the national championship game for the first time since 2013, with a 69-57 win against Loyola in a national semifinal of the 2018 Final Four on Saturday, March 31. Find the score, live updates and stats for the Final Four game.

Michigan advances to the National Championship Game on Monday, April 2, to play either Villanova or Kansas.

2018 NCAA Tournament: Michigan-Loyola score, live updates

FINAL: Michigan 69, Loyola 57. Moritz Wagner scored 24 points and Charles Matthews added 17 in the win against Loyola.

Second half

Michigan 68, Loyola 57 (0:27.9, 2H): Michigan is securing its ticket to the national championship game by hitting late free throws against the Ramblers.

Michigan 59, Loyola 51 (3:27, 2H): Michigan is now running away with the game, after a 3-pointer by Wagner.

Michigan 51, Loyola 47 (5:48, 2H): A quick swing has given the lead back to Michigan. Wagner hit a huge 3-pointer with 6:59 left in the game to tie the game at 47-47, followed by Poole’s free throws and Charles Matthews’ layup — a seven-point swing for the Wolverines.

Loyola 47, Michigan 44 (7:31, 2H): Michigan continues to chip away at Loyola’s lead, after Jordan Poole’s layup, but Loyola lost Townes to a left leg injury (cramping, per CBS) with 7:31 left in the second half. Townes had eight points and seven rebounds for the Ramblers

Loyola 45, Michigan 42 (10:06, 2H): And there’s Duncan Robinson. Robinson hits his second 3-pointer to cut Loyola’s lead to 3 midway through the second half. It’s only Michigan’s fourth 3-pointer, but it could be a big one. The Wolverines need to take advantage of their outside shooting.

Loyola 43, Michigan 37 (11:42, 2H): Jaaron Simmons hits his first 3-pointer to cut Loyola’s lead to 6. The Wolverines are 6 for 12 from the floor in the second half, but Loyola has made four of its last five shots.

Loyola 41, Michigan 31 (14:00, 2H): Charles Matthews cut Michigan’s lead to 5, but the Ramblers answered with their first 3-pointer of the night, from Clayton Custer. Loyola is 1 for 5 on 3-pointers.

Loyola 32, Michigan 24 (18:47, 2H): Krutwig opens the second half with a three point play to open Loyola’s lead to 10 points, but Michigan answers with a quick basket.

Duncan Robinson was on the floor as Michigan opened the second half. The Wolverines need a spark from behind the perimeter; they went 0 for 3 on 3-point shooting in the first half.

HALFTIME: Loyola 29, Michigan 22: Krutwig hit a turnaround jumper with less than 40 seconds left in the half, and after Wagner missed the front end of a 1-and-1 with 17.8 seconds left, Donte Ingram’s jumper just before the buzzer opened Loyola’s lead to seven points.

Wagner has a double-double for Michigan: 11 points and 11 rebounds. Krutwig, Townes and Aundre Jackson each have eight points for the Ramblers, who are 10 for 24 from the floor.

Michigan is 9 for 31 from the floor — Wagner and Charles Matthews are a combined 8-for-16 on shooting.

First half

Loyola 21, Michigan 19 (3:40, 1H): This game is defense first. The Ramblers are 7 for 18 from the floor, while Michigan is 8 for 27. Furthermore, a 9-0 run has helped lift Loyola to its first lead.

Loyola 17, Michigan 15 (5:53, 1H): Loyola ties the game on Cameron Krutwig’s layup, then takes the lead with 5:56 left in the first half of Krutwig’s two free throws.

Michigan 12, Loyola 10 (9:19, 1H): Marques Townes hits a jumper as the shot clock expires to cut Michigan’s lead to 2 points. Still, Michigan’s size is making things difficult for Loyola, particularly the play of 7-foot-1 Teske and the 6-foot-11 Wagner. The Ramblers are 3 for 5 in the paint — a low number, and evidence they’re having trouble creating chances inside.

Michigan 12, Loyola 4 (12:38, 1H): Jon Teske hits a layup to stretch Michigan’s lead to 8. Michigan keeps making stops, and keeps getting baskets. Loyola is 2 for 11 from the floor, and Michigan is capitalizing off transition. Michigan also has 13 rebounds so far, including four by Wagner.

Michigan 6, Loyola 4 (15:55 1H): The Wolverines hit a pair of early 3-pointers from Moritz Wagner and Charles Matthews to take the lead against the Ramblers. Michigan’s defense is strong, early, and not allowing Loyola to create a presence under the net.

Pregame: Ann Arbor is buzzing for Michigan’s first Final Four game since 2013. In San Antonio, the Wolverines are on the court at the Alamodome, ready to tip off against Loyola.

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2018 NCAA Tournament: Michigan-Loyola time, game information

Michigan and Loyola-Chicago play at 6:09 p.m. ET on Saturday March 31, 2018.

Time: 6:09 p.m. ET.

6:09 p.m. ET. Date: Saturday, March 31, 2018

Saturday, March 31, 2018 Location: Alamodome, San Antonio

Alamodome, San Antonio TV channel: TBS, which can be found here.

2018 NCAA Tournament: Michigan-Loyola TV channel

The 2018 NCAA Tournament game between Michigan and Loyola-Chicago is on TBS.

2018 NCAA Tournament: Michigan-Loyola how to watch online

You can watch the Michigan-Loyola-Chicago game online with NCAA.com’s March Madness Live.

How can I listen to the Michigan-Loyola-Chicago game on the radio?

The Michigan Sports Marketing Network, headed by flagship stations WWJ (950 AM) in Detroit and WWWW (102.9 FM) in Ann Arbor, will have the call. Matt Shepard provides the play-by-play, and Terry Mills is the analyst. The game also can be heard on Sirius 84, XM 84 and Internet 84.

Michigan-Loyola-Chicago basketball preview

Michigan faces Loyola-Chicago in the first of two national semifinal games Saturday night in San Antonio. It’s the Wolverines’ first appearance in the Final Four since 2013. It’s also the first meeting between the Wolverines and the Ramblers in nearly 40 years.

Michigan (32-7) enters the Final Four on a 13-game winning streak, which dates back to Feb. 11. The Wolverines swept their four Big Ten Tournament games en route to their second consecutive tournament championship. They have handled every sort of situation during their NCAA Tournament run, from Jordan Poole’s game-winning 3-pointer in the final second of a 64-63 win against Houston on March 17, to a 99-72 blowout of Texas A&M in the Sweet Sixteen on March 22.

Charles Matthews led the Wolverines with 17 points in a 58-54 win against Florida State in the Elite Eight on Saturday in Los Angeles. Matthews, a junior guard, has averaged 16.5 points in the Wolverines’ four NCAA Tournament games.

Loyola (32-5) comes out of the South Region as the No. 11 seed. Ben Richardson led the Ramblers with 23 points in a 78-62 win Sunday against Kansas State.

Clayton Custer leads the Ramblers with 13.2 points per game. Donte Ingram averages 6.3 rebounds per game, while Cameron Krutwig averages 6.1 rebounds per game.

The Ramblers are the fourth No. 11 seed to reach the Final Four, joining LSU (1986), George Mason (2006) and VCU (2011).

Loyola enters the Final Four as the winner of 14 consecutive games — the nation’s longest current winning streak. The Ramblers beat Miami, Tennessee and Kansas State to earn their first trip to the Final Four since 1963. Loyola also looks for its first national championship since 1963, when it beat Cincinnati.

The Wolverines defeated Loyola 84-80 in the second round of the 1964 NCAA Tournament in Minneapolis. Michigan lost to Duke in a national championship semifinal in 1964, the Wolverines’ first appearance in the Final Four. This is the fourth meeting between Michigan and Loyola and the first since 1969, when the Ramblers defeated the Wolverines 112-100 in Chicago.


The 2018 Final Four semifinals are on Saturday, March 31. Get schedule, dates, times and TV channels for the Saturday NCAA Tournament games below.

Villanova is playing Kansas on TBS. The winner will play Michigan in the title game.

2018 Final Four: Schedule, dates for NCAA Tournament games

The 2018 Final Four starts Saturday, March 31. The 2018 National Championship Game is then set for two days later on Monday, April 2.

Dates: Saturday, March 31 for the semifinals and Monday, April 2 for the national championship

Location: The Alamodome in San Antonio

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2018 Final Four: Times for NCAA Tournament games

NATIONAL SEMIFINALS

Saturday, March 31 (in San Antonio)

FINAL: No. 3 Michigan 69, No. 11 Loyola (Chicago) 57 | Box score

HALF | No. 1 Villanova 47, No. 1 Kansas 32 | TBS | Live stats

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NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP

Monday, April 2 (in San Antonio)

9:20 p.m. ET — Michigan vs. Villanova-Kansas winner | TBS

Buy Final Four tickets at a discount here!

2018 Final Four: TV channels for NCAA Tournament games

The 2018 Final Four is on TBS. Both national semifinal games and the national championship game will be televised by TBS.

Buy Final Four tickets at a discount here!

2018 NCAA Tournament: Bracket

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2018 NCAA Tournament: Scores, results

FIRST FOUR (in Dayton, Ohio)

Tuesday, March 13

FINAL: No. 16 Radford 71, No. 16 LIU Brooklyn 61 | Box score

FINAL: No. 11 St. Bonaventure 65, No. 11 UCLA 58 | Box score

Wednesday, March 14

FINAL: No. 16 Texas Southern 64, No. 16 NC Central 46 | Box score

FINAL: No. 11 Syracuse 60, No. 11 Arizona State 56 | Box score

FIRST ROUND

Thursday, March 15

FINAL: No. 7 Rhode Island 83, No. 10 Oklahoma 78 (OT) | Box score

FINAL: No. 3 Tennessee 73, No. 14 Wright State 47 | Box score

FINAL: No. 4 Gonzaga 68, No. 13 UNC Greensboro 64 | Box score

FINAL: No. 1 Kansas 76, No. 16 Penn 60 | Box score

FINAL: No. 2 Duke 89, No. 15 Iona 67 | Box score

FINAL: No. 11 Loyola (Chicago) 64, No. 6 Miami (Fla.) 62 | Box score

FINAL: No. 5 Ohio State 81, No. 12 South Dakota 73 | Box score

FINAL: No. 8 Seton Hall 94, No. 9 N.C. State 83 | Box score

FINAL: No. 1 Villanova 87, No. 16 Radford 61 | Box score

FINAL: No. 5 Kentucky 78, No. 12 Davidson 73 | Box score

FINAL: No. 3 Texas Tech 70, No. 14 Stephen F. Austin 60 | Box score

FINAL: No. 6 Houston 67, No. 11 San Diego State 65 | Box score

FINAL: No. 9 Alabama 86, No. 8 Virginia Tech 83 | Box score

FINAL: No. 13 Buffalo 89, No. 4 Arizona 68 | Box score

FINAL: No. 6 Florida 77, No. 11 St. Bonaventure 62 | Box score

FINAL: No. 3 Michigan 61, No. 14 Montana 47 | Box score

Friday, March 16

FINAL: No. 7 Texas A&M 73, No. 10 Providence 69 | Box score

FINAL: No. 2 Purdue 74, No. 15 CS Fullerton 48 | Box score

FINAL: No. 13 Marshall 81, No. 4 Wichita State 75 | Box score

FINAL: No. 2 Cincinnati 68, No. 15 Georgia State 53 | Box score

FINAL: No. 2 North Carolina 84, No. 15 Lipscomb 66 | Box score

FINAL: No. 10 Butler 79, No. 7 Arkansas 62 | Box score

FINAL: No. 5 West Virginia 85, No. 12 Murray State 68 | Box score

FINAL: No. 7 Nevada 87, No. 10 Texas 83 (OT) | Box score

FINAL: No. 9 Kansas State 69, No. 8 Creighton 59 | Box score

FINAL: No. 3 Michigan State 82, No. 14 Bucknell 78 | Box score

FINAL: No. 4 Auburn 62, No. 13 College of Charleston 58 | Box score

FINAL: No. 1 Xavier 102, No. 16 Texas Southern 83 | Box score

FINAL: No. 16 UMBC 74, No. 1 Virginia 54 | Box score

FINAL: No. 11 Syracuse 57, No. 6 TCU 52 | Box score

FINAL: No. 5 Clemson 79, No. 12 New Mexico State 68 | Box score

FINAL: No. 9 Florida State 67, No. 8 Missouri 54 | Box score

SECOND ROUND

Saturday, March 17

FINAL: No. 1 Villanova 81, No. 9 Alabama 58 | Box score

FINAL: No. 2 Duke 87, No. 7 Rhode Island 62 | Box score

FINAL: No. 5 Kentucky 95, No. 13 Buffalo 75 | Box score

FINAL: No. 11 Loyola (Chicago) 63, No. 3 Tennessee 62 | Box score

FINAL: No. 1 Kansas 83, No. 8 Seton Hall 79 | Box score

FINAL: No. 4 Gonzaga 90, No. 5 Ohio State 84 | Box score

FINAL: No. 3 Texas Tech 69, No. 6 Florida 66 | Box score

FINAL: No. 3 Michigan 64, No. 6 Houston 63 | Box score

Sunday, March 18

FINAL: No. 2 Purdue 76, No. 10 Butler 73 | Box score

FINAL: Syracuse 55, Michigan State 53 | Box score

FINAL: Texas A&M 86, North Carolina 65 | Box score

FINAL: Nevada 75, Cincinnati 73 | Box score

FINAL: Clemson 84, Auburn 53 | Box score

FINAL: Kansas State 50, UMBC 43 | Box score

FINAL: Florida State 75, Xavier 70 | Box score

FINAL: West Virginia 94, Marshall 71 | Box score

SWEET 16

Thursday, March 22

FINAL: No. 11 Loyola (Chicago) 69, No. 7 Nevada 68 | Box score

FINAL: No. 3 Michigan 99, No. 7 Texas A&M 72 | Box score

FINAL: No. 5 Kansas State 61, No. 5 Kentucky 58 | Box score

FINAL: No. 9 Florida State 75, No. 4 Gonzaga 60 | Box score

Friday, March 23

FINAL: No. 1 Kansas 80, No. 5 Clemson 76 | Box score

FINAL: No. 1 Villanova 90, No. 5 West Virginia 78 | Box score

FINAL: No. 2 Duke 69, No. 11 Syracuse 65 | Box score

FINAL: No. 3 Texas Tech 78, No. 2 Purdue 65 | Box score

ELITE EIGHT

Saturday, March 24

FINAL: No. 11 Loyola (Chicago) 78, No. 9 Kansas State 62 | Box score

FINAL: No. 3 Michigan 58, No. 9 Florida State 54 | Box score

Sunday, March 25

FINAL: No. 1 Villanova 71, No. 3 Texas Tech 59 | Box score

FINAL: No. 1 Kansas 85, No. 2 Duke 81 (OT) | Box score


SAN ANTONIO - Michigan did it. The Wolverines defeated Loyola-Chicago 69-57 and are on the way to NCAA title game. They'll play the winner of Villanova and Kansas in what should be a great championship game on Monday. But before that, it's the Wildcats and the Jayhawks.

We'll have all the updates from our team, including from our reporters at the Alamodome.

The Wildcats will face the Jayhawks in a battle of traditional powers and No. 1 seeds. Villanova is making its second Final Four appearance in the last three years and is led by AP Player of the Year Jalen Brunson. Kansas is returning to the city and arena where it won its last NCAA title in 2008.

Viewing Information


Update 8:15 p.m. ET: Michigan defeated Loyola-Chicago, 69-57, in the opening Final Four matchup. The Wolverines will play the winner of Villanova vs. Kansas for the national championship on Monday night. Read on for a comprehensive preview of the impending contest between the Wildcats and Jayhawks.

One of the most intriguing matchups of the 2018 NCAA Tournament is tonight’s Final Four showdown between Kansas and Villanova, a pair of No. 1 seeds that managed to successfully navigate through four rounds full of wild March Madness upsets to get to the event’s final weekend. The Wildcats have absolutely dominated their competition to represent the East region in the Alamodome, winning all four matchups by double-digit margins. The Jayhawks did not make it look as easy, only beating their last three opponents by four points each. They also needed overtime to slip past Duke to cut down the Midwest region nets, getting fortunate that the Blue Devils' last-second shot in regulation hit every part of the rim and went out to bring on extra time.

Because of these relative struggles compared to Villanova, Kansas opened as a five-point underdog in this upcoming Final Four contest. Bettors still liked the Wildcats more at that number, forcing the line up to where it currently stands at NOVA -5.5. Here’s an in-depth look at the betting lines for this matchup, as well as each team’s national championship odds, TV and live stream viewing information, start times and more for every remaining game in the 2018 NCAA Tournament:

2018 Final Four Viewing Info, Odds And Predictions

Time (ET) Matchup (TV) Odds Pick/Results O/U National Title Odds Final Four (Saturday March 31) 6:09 p.m. No. 3 Michigan vs. No. 11 Loyola-Chicago (TBS) UM -5 UM 69 - LCHI 57 130.5 MICH +230 / LCHI +1000 8:49 p.m. No. 1 Villanova vs. No. 1 Kansas (TBS) NOVA -5.5 NOVA 154.5 NOVA -115 / KU +300 National Championship (Monday April 2) 9:20 p.m. No. 3 Michigan vs. TBD (NOVA/KU) TBD TBD TBD N/A

Every game can be streamed on March Madness Live

March Madness Odds Courtesy Of BetDSI Sportsbook

2018 NCAA Tournament Bracket

NCAA.com

Latest bracket available here

No. 1 Villanova (E) Vs. No. 1 Kansas (MW) Preview

Betting Trends

Villanova

Villanova is 7-1 ATS in its last 8 games

Villanova is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games

The total has gone OVER in 14 of Villanova's last 19 games

Villanova is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Kansas

Kansas

Kansas is 5-2 ATS in its last 7 games

Kansas is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games

The total has gone OVER in 5 of Kansas's last 6 games

Kansas is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Villanova

What People Are Saying

Jeff Goodman joked that this game is for the national title, as the winner is sure to be favored on Monday night against No. 3 Michigan or No. 11 Loyola-Chicago:

Kansas vs. Villanova in the national title game. Um, I mean national semifinal game. — Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanESPN) March 25, 2018

RJ Bell pointed out that Final Four games have rarely gone over 155 points during the past decade or so, which is the total Vegas has pegged the over/under at for this matchup:

Only 1 of the last 26 Final Four round games had more than 155 total points scored (via @SleepyJ_Pregame) Over/Under point total for Villanova/Kansas is 155 — RJ Bell (@RJinVegas) March 30, 2018

KenPom tweeted that both the Jayhawks and Wildcats should still be amongst the best in the country next year, even if all their top NBA prospects leave school early:

Here's my computer's top 10 for 2019 assuming everyone in @DraftExpress top 40 leaves: 1) Kansas, 2) Duke, 3) Villanova, 4) Auburn, 5) Kentucky, 6) North Carolina, 7) Nevada, 8) West Virginia, 9) Gonzaga, 10) Virginia, 11) Maryland. — Ken Pomeroy (@kenpomeroy) March 24, 2018

PrepScouting found that Kansas has the most transfers of any Final Four squad on the roster, while Villanova has the least:

How many “Transfers” does each Final 4 Team have on their Roster:

•Loyola (4 Transfers)

•Michigan (3 Transfers)

•Villanova (1 Transfer)

•Kansas (5 Transfers) — PrepScouting (NCAA) (@highmajorscoop) March 26, 2018

NCAA March Madness noted that the Jayhawks and Wildcats each have a 2018 AP All-American in the starting lineup:

2018 AP All-American Team FIRST TEAM

Jalen Brunson - Villanova

Deandre Ayton - Arizona

Trae Young - Oklahoma

Marvin Bagley III - Duke

Devonte' Graham - Kansas Second & Third Team: https://t.co/dzj6VxL6Gg pic.twitter.com/ePtuFMVf6S — NCAA March Madness (@marchmadness) March 27, 2018

Dinos Trigonis is picking ‘Nova to cut down all the nets at the Alamodome:

My Final 4 predictions: Loyola/Chicago over Michigan by 3 pts; Villanova over Kansas by 8 pts Title Game: Villanova over Loyola/Chicago by 5 pts — Dinos Trigonis (@trigonis30) March 31, 2018

Kansas Jayhawks Fans highlighted an interesting bit of history when it comes to their school playing against an AP Player of the Year in a San Antonio-based Final Four:

In 2008, Tyler Hansbrough of UNC won AP Player of the year. KU beat UNC in the Final 4 in San Antonio, then won the National Title. It’s now 2018, and Jalen Brunson of Villanova just won AP Player of the Year. KU is about to play Villanova in the Final 4 in San Antonio Saturday. pic.twitter.com/YH25GBwBCI — Kansas Jayhawk Fans (@FansOfKU) March 30, 2018

ESPN PR congratulated the small fraction of the 17.3 million bracket entrants that had this Final Four correct on their site:

Congratulations to the 550 people who correctly picked Loyola, Michigan, Villanova and Kansas to make the Final Four (17.3 million entries) — ESPN PR (@ESPNPR) March 25, 2018

What The Coaches Are Saying

Jay Wright, Villanova head coach (via CBS Philly):

Our guys all take great pride in representing the university, the whole community and Philadelphia basketball…They’re ready. They’ve had good practices. We get two days down there on the court. So, we still have some work to do but I think they’re ready…There’s nothing like a national championship. Just playing for it is an honor. We’re proud every step of the way…It”s really the greatest challenge. Teams you play are great but there are so many responsibilities and commitments you have down there, especially the players [who are] trying to find a way to stay focus–it’s really difficult. But the other teams are going through it too.

Bill Self, Kansas head coach (via CBS San Antonio):

We're very excited to be back in San Antonio, and certainly we've had an unbelievable experience here before and look forward to the weekend and the opportunity to play probably the best team from start to finish this year in college basketball. So we're very excited to be here looking forward to representing our university.

Pro Prediction

Jon Price of SportsInformationTraders.com has been telling readers to bet Villanova to win it all this year since Selection Sunday, noting that the team had one of the easiest roads to San Antonio through the East region and possessed all the right tools to get the job done once it reached Texas. That hasn’t changed now that the Wildcats are here, especially after they completely obliterated their opponents during the first two weeks of March Madness.

Villanova won their first four games by an average margin of more than 18 points, including a pair of 12-point victories against West Virginia and Texas Tech in the Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight, respectively. The players have been bombing away from beyond the arc, raining down a borderline ridiculous average of 12 three-point makes per contest. They’ve hoisted up a total of 116 total shots from deep and hit on 48, a connection percentage of more than 41%. The latter number would be far more impressive if the Red Raiders hadn’t held the Wildcats in check last weekend, limiting them to a poor 4-of-24 three-point shooting performance. It was the only game in which ‘Nova didn’t pour in at least 13 treys during this NCAA Tournament.

This offensive explosion shouldn’t surprise anyone who has been paying attention to the Big East champs this season, as they led the nation in the KenPom.com efficiency-adjusted offensive rankings and scored 87.1 points per game, the top mark in Division 1. Defense was the one area where ‘Nova could occasionally be inconsistent—the program still ranked within the top-25 after adjusting for efficiency—but proved that it’s able to step up and play world class basketball on that end of the floor when shots aren’t falling. That’s exactly how the Wildcats handled third-seeded Texas Tech in the Elite Eight, holding their foe to 33.3% field goal shooting to cut down the nets in Boston.

That ranked as the lowest shooting percentage of any Villanova opponent during the Big Dance, as even No. 16 seeded Radford managed to hit home on 33.9% of its shots in the first round. The best outing against the Wildcats was Alabama’s 41.7% from the field in the second round, while none of the teams that matched up with ‘Nova have been able to get much going from beyond the arc.

Here’s a look at three-point shooting numbers for the Wildcats and their opponents during the first four rounds of the 2018 NCAA Tournament:

Villanova Three-Point Shooting and Three-Point Defense During March Madness

Opponent Opp. 3PT Opp. 3PT% Nova 3PT Nova 3PT% Radford 8-24 33.3% 14-27 51.9% Alabama 4-16 25% 17-41 41.5% West Virginia 7-28 25% 13-24 54.2% Texas Tech 5-20 25% 4-24 16.7%

As you can see, no one outside of the Highlanders has been able to hit more than a quarter of its three-point attempts against these Wildcats. Kansas has hit at least 36% of its treys in each of its opening four games, but the Jayhawks are going to struggle to continue that hot shooting in the Final Four. If they can’t keep pace against ‘Nova, this game will get out of hand quickly.

Even if Villanova’s shot isn’t falling, the players have shown they can get to the line and win games by making free throws. This is exactly what happened in the Elite Eight, when they buried 29-of-35 foul shots to grind out a “W” against TTU. There’s just too many ways for the Wildcats to win and Kansas will fall short on Saturday night because of the depth, talent and versatility that head coach Jay Wright’s roster possesses.

Pick: Villanova -5.5

Prediction: Villanova 77 – Kansas 70

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